Need Contact Info For DVC & Poly Leadership (Major Issue On Welcome Home Stay July 1-4)

[lowlight]

Between the crowded pools, lobbies, beach crowds for fireworks, parking, monorail lines, and quick service waits, monorail resorts during holiday periods are a no go for me anymore. I’m sorry you had to wait an hour for a spot in the rain, that isn’t acceptable.

 

[muppets3d]

Between the crowded pools, lobbies, beach crowds for fireworks, parking, monorail lines, and quick service waits, monorail resorts during holiday periods are a no go for me anymore. I’m sorry you had to wait an hour for a spot in the rain, that isn’t acceptable.

Yeah it was bizarre because the parks felt nearly empty over the week of the Fourth, compared to what you'd expect. It felt like everyone in Central Florida went to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian though.

 

[coreynyc]

I had similar feelings about my xmas trip 2 years ago, In fact I just sold my only poly contract with the crowds that was the primary reason. But I love the longhouses and will stay there again in slower times of the year. I just ran into having to leave the resort to get food since I could not get in the TS or get food in a reasonable amount of time at Captian cooks. At the time the walkway to GF was closed so I really missed BW or RIV where you have more options. Even the monorail was usually a long line.

I think DVC will crack down with PIT in active sales, at least in PIT the tower is restricted to guests. I wish RIV would add the room key function in the elevators.

My issue was above and beyond just the crowds, it was a operational breakdown of the property. Below is the email I sent my guide.

I wanted to share our poor experience directly related to the operations of specifically the Island Tower and the Polynesian Village Resort in general during our first/“Welcome Home” stay as Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members from July 1-5. This stay had my wife and me disappointed, wondering if selecting the Polynesian Village as our home resort, and questioning if purchasing DVC at all was a huge mistake.

It’s been a rough few weeks for us. Amongst other things, my son contracted a virus during our stay, and our car had been rear-ended. We’ve been busy dealing with the repercussions of both. After a busy week or so of catching up with responsibilities and life in general at home, I finally had time to reflect on our experience, and it was clear to me that it was necessary to speak up about this.

On July 3rd, my family and I drove over from the Island Tower to Wilderness Lodge for an early dinner with the plan of returning to Polynesian Village and finding a location to watch the special holiday fireworks that night. We got back to the Island Tower to find the security gate up because it was broken, and a security guard was stationed in his SUV. I told him we were guests, and we were let right in. There was no scanning of room keys or Magicbands and no verification of our name off of a list of guests. He simply took me on my word.

Since it was pouring rain, I dropped my wife and kids off under the porte cochère, and I went to park. I circled the entire parking lot and found no spots. I patiently waited for someone to come out to their car; the lot is designed in such a way that positioned myself where I could see anyone walking to their car. But for over a half hour, no one came out.

I pulled around to the front and asked someone from bell services what to do, and he had no advice. I waited another half hour, now an hour total, and still no one moved their car. During this period, there were as many as 4 other cars lined up behind me also waiting for a spot. Some gave up and left during the hour.

I finally pulled my car up to the security guard and asked what I should do. He told me that my only option was to go park at the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) as the main parking lot at Polynesian Village was also full.

So, to be clear, the only solution was:

1. Park in the Magic Kingdom lot.
2. Walk or wait for a tram to the TTC.
3. Walk from the TTC or get on a monorail.
4. Walk back to the Island Tower.

This is a 20+ minute excursion that also required repeating the same steps in reverse to retrieve the car.

The Island Tower parking lot is clearly too small. Unfortunately, this did not occur to us prior to purchasing our DVC contract. We understand that the gate unexpectedly broke down that night. But at the same time, there was clearly no scrutiny of who was parking in there. That is inexcusable on any night and especially so when a popular, twice-a-year holiday fireworks show was taking place.

My assumption is that people were also being allowed to park at the main parking area of the Polynesian Village who also were not resort and maybe not even dining guests. Why else would it be full? People with dining reservations at the two restaurants at Polynesian Village that offer them have the same seating capacity on any given evening. So how did the property run out of spots?

The top priority should obviously be to ensure there are always spots for overnight resort guests spending thousands of dollars to stay at the property. A limited area of the lot should be reserved for dining guests and the bulk for overnight guests. Overnight guests should never be told they have to park at the TTC.

The next day, July 4, was not much better. We decided to remain on the property, fearing a repeat of the night before, and had an early dinner at Wailulu. Also, since wristbands were distributed to resort guests, we assumed it would be a calmer atmosphere at the resort. Unfortunately, we were wrong.

While the beach near the Lava Pool on the original side of the resort was fenced off and reserved for hotel guests, the smaller beach by the Island Tower was not, and it was filled with people. It was easy to see that many, if not most, people there did not have a wristband. So why go through the motions of distributing bracelets just to let anyone watch from there and disappoint us as resort guests?

We understand and appreciate that the Island Tower is only open for 7 months or so, and that there is going to be a learning curve inherent with operating a new property. But at the same time, the Island Tower has already gone through a similar high-attendance holiday fireworks event on New Year’s Eve. Further, the Polynesian Village has been operating and dealing with fireworks crowds for over 50 years.

To be clear, we completely understand that holidays are going to be busy at Walt Disney World. Further, we do not have any unrealistic expectations of special treatment as DVC members. But we want to be confident we made the right decision purchasing DVC and selecting Polynesian Village as our home resort. After this stay, it doesn’t feel that way.

If I had to boil it all down to one sentence, the feeling of “Welcome home” that we heard so much about during the sales process was really lacking for us.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter and would appreciate a response in the next few days. Most of all, we want to be reassured that we made the right decision both in joining Disney Vacation Club and making Polynesian Village Resort our home.

 

[lowlight]

Yeah it was bizarre because the parks felt nearly empty over the week of the Fourth, compared to what you'd expect. It felt like everyone in Central Florida went to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian though.

We had originally booked to go this 4th after hearing how empty it was last 4th, but decided against it. I’ve heard a lot of locals are doing the monorail hopping thing on holidays, and if Disney doesn’t stop them, I can’t blame them. Dole whips, nice pools, roasted marshmallows, kids activities, food, drinks and free fireworks without paying for a hotel room? Sounds like a nice 4th if I lived nearby.

 

[muppets3d]

We had originally booked to go this 4th after hearing how empty it was last 4th, but decided against it. I’ve heard a lot of locals are doing the monorail hopping thing on holidays, and if Disney doesn’t stop them, I can’t blame them. Dole whips, nice pools, roasted marshmallows, kids activities, food, drinks and free fireworks without paying for a hotel room? Sounds like a nice 4th if I lived nearby.

Yeah I agree I'd probably do the same.

I think if you do decide to go on the 4th, just stay at AKL or Saratoga or whatever. That's what we'll do in the future. It is a great time to visit I think. I love the special fireworks.

 

[Moonspinner]

My issue was above and beyond just the crowds, it was a operational breakdown of the property. Below is the email I sent my guide.

I wanted to share our poor experience directly related to the operations of specifically the Island Tower and the Polynesian Village Resort in general during our first/“Welcome Home” stay as Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members from July 1-5. This stay had my wife and me disappointed, wondering if selecting the Polynesian Village as our home resort, and questioning if purchasing DVC at all was a huge mistake.

It’s been a rough few weeks for us. Amongst other things, my son contracted a virus during our stay, and our car had been rear-ended. We’ve been busy dealing with the repercussions of both. After a busy week or so of catching up with responsibilities and life in general at home, I finally had time to reflect on our experience, and it was clear to me that it was necessary to speak up about this.

On July 3rd, my family and I drove over from the Island Tower to Wilderness Lodge for an early dinner with the plan of returning to Polynesian Village and finding a location to watch the special holiday fireworks that night. We got back to the Island Tower to find the security gate up because it was broken, and a security guard was stationed in his SUV. I told him we were guests, and we were let right in. There was no scanning of room keys or Magicbands and no verification of our name off of a list of guests. He simply took me on my word.

Since it was pouring rain, I dropped my wife and kids off under the porte cochère, and I went to park. I circled the entire parking lot and found no spots. I patiently waited for someone to come out to their car; the lot is designed in such a way that positioned myself where I could see anyone walking to their car. But for over a half hour, no one came out.

I pulled around to the front and asked someone from bell services what to do, and he had no advice. I waited another half hour, now an hour total, and still no one moved their car. During this period, there were as many as 4 other cars lined up behind me also waiting for a spot. Some gave up and left during the hour.

I finally pulled my car up to the security guard and asked what I should do. He told me that my only option was to go park at the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) as the main parking lot at Polynesian Village was also full.

So, to be clear, the only solution was:

1. Park in the Magic Kingdom lot.
2. Walk or wait for a tram to the TTC.
3. Walk from the TTC or get on a monorail.
4. Walk back to the Island Tower.

This is a 20+ minute excursion that also required repeating the same steps in reverse to retrieve the car.

The Island Tower parking lot is clearly too small. Unfortunately, this did not occur to us prior to purchasing our DVC contract. We understand that the gate unexpectedly broke down that night. But at the same time, there was clearly no scrutiny of who was parking in there. That is inexcusable on any night and especially so when a popular, twice-a-year holiday fireworks show was taking place.

My assumption is that people were also being allowed to park at the main parking area of the Polynesian Village who also were not resort and maybe not even dining guests. Why else would it be full? People with dining reservations at the two restaurants at Polynesian Village that offer them have the same seating capacity on any given evening. So how did the property run out of spots?

The top priority should obviously be to ensure there are always spots for overnight resort guests spending thousands of dollars to stay at the property. A limited area of the lot should be reserved for dining guests and the bulk for overnight guests. Overnight guests should never be told they have to park at the TTC.

The next day, July 4, was not much better. We decided to remain on the property, fearing a repeat of the night before, and had an early dinner at Wailulu. Also, since wristbands were distributed to resort guests, we assumed it would be a calmer atmosphere at the resort. Unfortunately, we were wrong.

While the beach near the Lava Pool on the original side of the resort was fenced off and reserved for hotel guests, the smaller beach by the Island Tower was not, and it was filled with people. It was easy to see that many, if not most, people there did not have a wristband. So why go through the motions of distributing bracelets just to let anyone watch from there and disappoint us as resort guests?

We understand and appreciate that the Island Tower is only open for 7 months or so, and that there is going to be a learning curve inherent with operating a new property. But at the same time, the Island Tower has already gone through a similar high-attendance holiday fireworks event on New Year’s Eve. Further, the Polynesian Village has been operating and dealing with fireworks crowds for over 50 years.

To be clear, we completely understand that holidays are going to be busy at Walt Disney World. Further, we do not have any unrealistic expectations of special treatment as DVC members. But we want to be confident we made the right decision purchasing DVC and selecting Polynesian Village as our home resort. After this stay, it doesn’t feel that way.

If I had to boil it all down to one sentence, the feeling of “Welcome home” that we heard so much about during the sales process was really lacking for us.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter and would appreciate a response in the next few days. Most of all, we want to be reassured that we made the right decision both in joining Disney Vacation Club and making Polynesian Village Resort our home.

This is a great letter that explains the guest experience at a new Dvc property in a thoughtful, measured way. Sending it to your guide is a good start, but I would send it higher up. The people running DVC are very interested in feedback, more so than the Disney corporation as a whole.

 

[muppets3d]

Grand Floridian is taking to making dining guests park across Floridian Way in the overflow parking, at least during busier times if not all the time now. Maybe they should notch out a section of TTC parking and designate it as dining parking for Polynesian. That would leave the parking lots at the Polynesian resort only for guests staying at the resort.

 

[MattB2G]

Grand Floridian is taking to making dining guests park across Floridian Way in the overflow parking, at least during busier times if not all the time now. Maybe they should notch out a section of TTC parking and designate it as dining parking for Polynesian. That would leave the parking lots at the Polynesian resort only for guests staying at the resort.

Love to hear this, I don't think resort guests should have to walk from the over flow lots to accommodate non-resort guest visits whether for an ADR or just a visit.

 

[Mouseforward]

Grand Floridian is taking to making dining guests park across Floridian Way in the overflow parking, at least during busier times if not all the time now. Maybe they should notch out a section of TTC parking and designate it as dining parking for Polynesian. That would leave the parking lots at the Polynesian resort only for guests staying at the resort.

Or make dining guests valet park as that would also stop the "make an ADR and go to the parks" scam.

 

[muppets3d]

Or make dining guests valet park as that would also stop the "make an ADR and go to the parks" scam.

I thought the fee to cancel in less than 2 hours stopped most of that scamming?

I think making dining guests park across the street is fine personally.

 

[DanCali]

This is not just at PVB, especially on July 3-4...

We had a horrible experience at BLT - we got there on July 3 around 8pm and there was absolutely no parking at BLT or the Contemporary. We drove around for over 20 minutes. We pulled in front of BLT and asked what to do, and were told that because of dinner reservations the lots were full and we should park at the TTC and take the monorail...

So basically people with dining reservations from 5-6pm stayed to watch fireworks and we couldn't park there as hotel guests. We ended up grabbing dinner at WL and came back later and there were plenty of spots...

Last time I drove to a resort for dining, I was given a "pass" that said max 3 hours parking. Clearly that's never enforced because nobody tracks that.

 

[coreynyc]

An easy fix would be to Disney to apply a huge parking fee of something like $75-$100 to all non resort guests ADR’s on these special fireworks days. Most of which is either applied to your check at the restaurant or is refunded to after you dine and leave the property in a timely manner. But some of it will be kept by Disney no matter what.

Ohana will not be empty on July 4 even with this policy.

 

[muppets3d]

An easy fix would be to Disney to apply a huge parking fee of something like $75-$100 to all non resort guests ADR’s on these special fireworks days. Most of which is either applied to your check at the restaurant or is refunded to after you dine and leave the property in a timely manner. But some of it will be kept by Disney no matter what.

Ohana will not be empty on July 4 even with this policy.

Or as @Mouseforward said, park at TTC/use Disney buses, or use valet at the resort. No free parking at the resort unless you are a registered guest staying there.

 

[coreynyc]

Or as @Mouseforward said, park at TTC/use Disney buses, or use valet at the resort. No free parking at the resort unless you are a registered guest staying there.

Absolutely but my idea would alleviate the issue of someone who says they are being essentially prohibited from eating there because they cannot park so far away due to mobility issues, etc.

 

[muppets3d]

Absolutely but my idea would alleviate the issue of someone who says they are being essentially prohibited from eating there because they cannot park so far away due to mobility issues, etc.

Just telling them to valet would be cheaper for them and easier for the gate guards to explain.

 

[sndral]

Yeah it was bizarre because the parks felt nearly empty over the week of the Fourth, compared to what you'd expect. It felt like everyone in Central Florida went to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian though.

We had originally booked to go this 4th after hearing how empty it was last 4th, but decided against it. I’ve heard a lot of locals are doing the monorail hopping thing on holidays, and if Disney doesn’t stop them, I can’t blame them. Dole whips, nice pools, roasted marshmallows, kids activities, food, drinks and free fireworks without paying for a hotel room? Sounds like a nice 4th if I lived nearby.

Yeah, the large group that surrounded us at the GF to watch NYE fireworks were CMs & their local friends, nice enough folks, just too many of them.
When Disney cares they are very proactive in making sure you have to pay to play. We ate at BOG on a Christmas Party night & because BOG seated us late the party was in full swing when we finished our meal & we had our own personal plaid escort us out of the MK to make sure we didn’t partake in a party we hadn’t paid for.
Disney just doesn’t care enough about the folks who’ve paid 5/6 figures to own the Poly/VGF/BLT or are paying 4 figures per night to stay at the MK resorts, if they did they’d take a few steps to insure that those resort guests could enjoy what they paid for.

 

[muppets3d]

Yeah, the large group that surrounded us at the GF to watch NYE fireworks were CMs & their local friends, nice enough folks, just too many of them.
When Disney cares they are very proactive in making sure you have to pay to play. We ate at BOG on a Christmas Party night & because BOG seated us late the party was in full swing when we finished our meal & we had our own personal plaid escort us out of the MK to make sure we didn’t partake in a party we hadn’t paid for.
Disney just doesn’t care enough about the folks who’ve paid 5/6 figures to own the Poly/VGF/BLT or are paying 4 figures per night to stay at the MK resorts, if they did they’d take a few steps to insure that those resort guests could enjoy what they paid for.

It sounds like they distributed wristbands to Polynesian guests, but made no effort to ensure that only wristbanded guests were on the beach for the fireworks? Insanity! Why even bother with the wristbands?

 

[kes601]

Disney just doesn’t care enough about the folks who’ve paid 5/6 figures to own the Poly/VGF/BLT or are paying 4 figures per night to stay at the MK resorts, if they did they’d take a few steps to insure that those resort guests could enjoy what they paid for.

Because they already have our money....

 

[Mouseforward]

Because they already have our money....

I got an earful on the bus from a cash Poly guest who blames his perception that service at Poly has declined since DVC came using that same logic that they have our money and do not need to fight to get us back.

 

[muppets3d]

Because they already have our money....

I got an earful on the bus from a cash Poly guest who blames his perception that service at Poly has declined since DVC came using that same logic that they have our money and do not need to fight to get us back.

There are a lot of DVC villas at VGF and Polynesian but there are still plenty more cash rooms at those resorts and they are the flagships of the entire resort, along with Contemporary.